Employment Tribunal claim deadline doubles as backlog hits 70,000

The time limit for bringing most Employment Tribunal claims has doubled from three to six months from today, 1st October, as the number of open single claims reached a record 70,000.

The change is intended to give employees and employers more time to resolve disputes before proceedings are issued and improve access to justice.

However, the latest Ministry of Justice figures showed the Tribunal received 14,000 single claims between April and June, compared with 6,100 disposals.

The number of open single claims increased by 51% over the year to reach 70,000.

Roy Magara, solicitor advocate and founder of Magara Law, said: “Three months is a very short period of time when somebody has just lost or left their job.

“They might be looking for another job, dealing with the shock of what has happened or simply trying to get themselves into a position where they can properly think about whether they want to bring a claim.

“Giving people six months is a good thing. My concern is what happens once they get into the Tribunal system.”

Magara added: “We used to do witness statements much closer to a Tribunal hearing, but now we do them right at the start.